Yesterday brought the shocking news that former Batman actor Christian Bale is in talks to join Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder. Ever since then, fans have been theorizing about who The Dark Knight star could be playing in Taika Waititi’s follow-up to his smash-hit 2017 effort, Thor: Ragnarok.
A popular suggestion is Beta Ray Bill, mostly just because fans are desperate to see the horse-faced alien in the MCU. But comic book writer Jason Aaron may have hit the nail on the head and teased who Bale’s really portraying in the movie.
Aaron is, of course, a long-running writer of the Thor comics, notable for introducing Jane Foster’s version of the God(dess) of Thunder into continuity. His work is a huge influence on a film that’s bringing Natalie Portman back as Jane Foster, too, this time giving her Asgardian powers, meaning he’s the best person to tease what the filmmakers are up to.
Given that, we should pay attention to what he has to say. And he believes that Bale could be a great fit for Dario Agger, a character pulled from his Thor: God of Thunder run. It’s unclear if he’s just having some fun with the fans here or he actually knows something we don’t, but you can see his tease down below:
You know who's got my vote. "Who Is Christian Bale Playing in THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER?" https://t.co/gIepxEvTBT pic.twitter.com/zHCCrMNl85
— Jason Aaron (@jasonaaron) January 7, 2020
As the comic panel Aaron shared in his tweet makes clear, Agger’s the CEO of evil corporation Roxxon, which has been featured many times in the MCU, but has rarely been at the center of the story. He also has the power to transform into a Minotaur. You can see from this one image, too, just how much Bale is a visual fit for the villain. And while Aaron could really be onto something here, another option rolling around for the actor’s role is Gorr the God-Butcher, a character who’s been said to be part of the movie as well.
In any case, Thor: Love and Thunder is gearing up to start production in Australia pretty soon ahead of its release in theaters on November 5th, 2021, so hopefully we’ll get some answers in the not too distant future.